One-piece aerosol spray head and nozzle



May 19, 1970 N. E. PLATT ONE-PIECE AEROSOL SPRAY HEAD AND NOZZLE Filed April 23, 1968 Zimu E. PLATT United States Patent 3 512 720 ONE-PIECE AEROSOL SPRAY HEAD AND NOZZLE Norman E. Platt, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Clayton Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 23, 1968, Ser. No. 723,455 Int. Cl. Bb l/34 US. Cl. 239-490 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A one-piece aerosol spray head and nozzle has a central bore terminating in a transverse surface recessed to provide a rounded top, forward-facing whirl chamber and two spaced-apart flow passages entering it, one at each of its lower corners. Inflow at each of the two corners effectively turns the inflow from the other, to speed whirling flow to a central spray orifice.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventional spray heads for aerosal dispensers of the type which are filled only once, should be inexpensive. To achieve a fine break-up of the sprayed particles, and their distribution in an even spray pattern, it has hereto fore been necessary for many spray products to employ a nozzle insert, which when assembled with a molded spray head provides a plurality of flow passages converging within a spray chamber at an outlet orifice.

Attempts have been made to lessen expense by providing a one-piece spray head, using the tip surface of the valve stem on which the spray head is mounted as the bottom wall for the spray chamber and its inlet pas sage. Such a one-piece spray head is illustrated in US. Pat. No. 3,240,431. In contrast with the two-piece construction in which a nozzle insert is used, the user may readily remove the spray head and rinse it of clogging particles. However, one-piece spray heads have not heretofore equalled the two-piece construction in their desirable characteristics of fineness of spray particles and evenness of distribution.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The principal purpose of the present invention is providing a one-piece nozzle, with its advantage of low cost and rinsability, whose efliciency in breaking up particles to fine size and distributing them evenly is comparable to the best performance of the two-piece spray heads. Other purposes Will appear from this specification.

Generally summarized, in the present invention there is provided a one-piece spray head whose body has within its lower end a bore of circular cross section, within which the tube tip of a hollow tubular valve stem is received. At the upper end of the bore, a transverse surface is presented downwardly; when assembled the tube tip rim surface abuts this transverse surface. Cavity portions, formed on molding the bore, are recessed upwardly from the transverse surface; these portions connect to each other and include a generally upright whirl chamber; and first and second flow passage means entering it. The whirl chamber has a forward wall inward of the forward surface of the body, with a central spray orifice therethrough; and an inner wall, spaced radially from the axis of the bore a distance greater than the inner radius of the tube tip rim surface. On assembly, when this surface of the tube rim abuts against the transverse surface, an arcuate portion of it will form the bottom of the whirl chamber.

Each of the flow passage means has a recessed inlet portion commencing radially inward of the tip rim surface, extending upward and entering the whirl chamber Patented May 19, 1970 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a prospective view of a one-piece aerosol spray head and nozzle embodying the present invention, mounted on the upper end of a tubular valve stem.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view as seen along line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the upper end of a core pin utilized in molding the bore and cavity portions illustrated in FIGS. 1-6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An aerosol valve of conventional construction and on which a spray head may be mounted is assembled within the pedestal portion 10 of a drawn metal container top or mounting cup 11, whose rim 12 is sealed within the mouth of a dispensing container, not shown. For spray purposes, such a valve normally includes a dip tube or syphon tube 13, which reaches to near the bottom of the dispensing conta'mer for which the valve is supplied. Such valve conventionally terminates in a short upwardprojecting hollow tubular valve stem 15, whose upper end annular tube tip rim surface 16 is formed transversely to the stem 15.

A one-piece combined spray head and nozzle, which is the subject of the present invention, is here illustrated as the spray head member generally designated 20. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 it consists of a body 21, having a forwardly presented spray hood 22 terminating inwardly in a circular wall 23. A finger pad portion 24 slopes downward and aft from its upper end. The lower surface 25 of the body 21 is penetrated by a bore 26 of circular cross-section, formed about a vertical axis 27. The bore 26 is of such diameter as to receive, with a snug fit, the outer surface of the upper end tip of the tubular valve stem 15.

When the body 20 is fitted on it, the tube tip rim surface 16 is presented abuttingly against a downwardly presented transverse surface 30 at the upper end of the bore 26. From the surface 30, connected cavity portions are recessed upwardly. These cavity portions include a generally or nearly upright whirl chamber generally designated 31, and first and second flow passage means 40, 45 entering into it.

As shown in the vertical section, FIG. 2, the whirl chamber 31 may taper upwardly; so that its greatest thickness is at the level of the transverse surface 30. Such thickness is less than that of the annular tube tip rim surface 16. The forward wall 32 of the whirl chamber 31 slopes slightly aft as it rises inward of the inner circular wall 23 of the spray hood 22. A central spray orifice 33 communicates between them.

The whirl chamber 31 has a slightly concave inner wall 34 spaced radially from the axis 27 a distance greater than the inner radius of the annular tube tip rim surface 16; hence, when this surface abuts the transverse surface 30, an arcuate portion of the surface thereof will form the bottom of the whirl chamber 31. The chamber 31 has a generally semicircularly rounded top wall 35, and first and second substantially vertical sidewall portions 36, 37 leading upward thereto; their length above the transverse surface 30 is approximately equal to the radius of the rounded top wall 35.

When the spray head member 20 is mounted on the tubular valve stem 15, substantially rectangular corners are formed at the intersections of its tube tip rim surface 16 with the sidewall portions 36, 37. Except for such rectangular corners, the whirl chamber 31 is substantially rounded about the axis of its spray orifice 32.

The first flow passage means 40 commences near the center of the transverse surface 30. It is directed curvedly and horizontally along the upper tube tip rim surface, and enters the whirl chamber 31 at the rectangular corner at its wall 36, between its forward wall 32 and inner wall 34. It has an upper passage wall 41 which is recessed upwardly from the transverse surface 30 and substantially parallel to it, and an inlet portion 42 recessed from said transverse surface 30 commencing at a point radially inward of the tube tip rim surface 16. These features are best shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5.

As best shown in FIGS. and 6, the second flow passage means, generally designated 45 is directed substantially upwardly into the intersection of the second sidewall portion 37 and the tube tip rim surface 16, forwardly toward the rounded top wall 35. Flow is directed upwardly and forwardly by a reverse curved sloping upper wall 46, from an inlet portion 48 recessed upward from the transverse surface 30 radially inward of the tube tip rim surface 16.

The configuration of these recessed portions will be more clearly understood from FIG. 7, which depicts the upper end of a core pin generally designated 50 utilized for molding the bore 26 and recesses described. The bore 26 is formed about a core pin stem portion 260; the transverse surface 30 is formed by the upper surface 300; the cavity of the whirl chamber 31 by the arcuate projection generally designated 310; its inner wall 34 and its rounded top wall 35 by the concave aft surface 340 and rounded top surface 350. The sideward and forward curving first flow passage means 40 is formed by the relatively low projection generally designated 400 of similar shape. Its upper wall 410 forms the upper passage wall 41; and its curving inner end 420, which merges downwardly in the upper surface 300 well inward of the core pin stem portion 260, forms the inlet portion 42.

The second flow passage means 45 is formed by the projecting portion generally designated 450. It has a wall top 460 which curves upward and forward in a smooth reverse curve to join the rounded top surface 350. A lower portion 480, extending upward at first almost vertically from the upper surface 300, commences radially inward of the concave aft surface 340 and well inward of the inner wall of the tubular valve stem 15.

Fluid entering the first flow passage means 40 through its inlet 42 will be directed curvedly and principally horizontally along the upper tube tip rim surface 16. Entering the whirl chamber 31 at the rectangular lower corner at the first sidewall portion 36, it will be directed toward the other lower rectangular corner. Were it not for the fluid there entering upwardly from the second flow passage means 45, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 5, the fluid entering from the first flow passage means would not be readily turned at such second rectangular corner; a portion of it would strike the second sidewall portion 37 and another portion of the fluid would be slowed by turbulence there occurring. These effects are very largely eliminated by the inflow from the second flow passage means 45 at said rectangular corner, which is directed substantially upwardl toward the rounded top wall 35. The flow from the first flow passage means 40 merges into said upward flow, to be effectively turned as if there was at that point no rectangular corner in the whirl chamber 31. Similarly, if it were not for the inflow into the whirl chamber 31 from the first flow passage means 40, the inflow at the second flow passage means 45 directed upward at the rounded top wall and then downward would tend to strike the upper tube rim surface 16 at the rectangular corner where the first flow passage means 40 enters; in any event, there would be similar interference with flow and turbulence at that corner. However, since the fluid inflow from the first flow passage means 40 is directed principally horizontally, it serves to turn the flow proceeding downward from the rounded top wall 35, as if the rectangular corner were a rounded surface. Hence as long as inflow proceeds through both the first and second flow passage means 40, 45 simultaneously, the inflow at each rectangular corner turns the inflow at the other rectangular corner.

The result is that the whirl chamber 31 with rectangular corners at its flat bottom formed by the tube tip rim surface 16, functions with much the same efliciency as a perfectly rounded whirl chamber. Liquid flow to the central spray orifice 33 is angularly accelerated in a vortex as it flows to the central spray orifice 33. It emerges with such strength of vorticity as to cause the particles of the liquid to separate from each other in a fine, evenly distributed spray.

In this invention, of which the preferred embodiment has been described, a one-piece molded spray head has spraying efficiency comparable to that heretofore achieved in constructions where a separate nozzle insert part was used. Such nozzle inserts and their assembly add greatly to cost of manufacture, and may clog after a single use and cannot be readily cleaned. In contrast, the recessed portions which form the whirl chamber 31 and first and second flow passage means 40, 45 are simple and so connected with each other as to be readily rinsed when the spray head 20 is removed.

Variations will occur to those familiar with the art, to adapt this invention to various purposes.

What is claimed is:

1. For use on an aerosol dispenser of the type having a hollow tubular valve stem including a tube tip transverse to the stem, the tip having an annular tube tip rim surface,

a one-piece spray head comprising a body having within its lower end a bore of circular cross-section, within which such tube tip is received, a transverse surface presented downwardly at the up per end of said bore, against which such tube tip rim surface is presented abuttingly, and

cavity portions recessed upwardly from the transverse surface in registration with the bore, said cavity portions including a generally upright whirl chamber of lesser thickness than the thickness of such tube tip rim surface,

said whirl chamber having a forward wall inward of the forward surface of the body and a central spray orifice therethrough, said chamber further having a generally semi-circularly rounded top wall and having sidewall portions leading substantially vertically upward thereto whose length above the transverse surface is approximately equal to the radius of the rounded top wall,

whereby to provide, in conjunction with such tube tip rim surface, a rounded top whirl chamber Whose height substantially equals its diameter and wherein the intersections of said sidewall portions with such tube tip rim surface form two substantially rectangular corners,

said recessed cavity portions further including first and second flow passage means entering said chamber, one at each of said rectangular corners,

each passage means including an inlet portion recessed in said transverse surface radially inward of such tip rim surface.

2. A one-piece spray head as defined in claim 1,

said first flow passage means being directed principally horizontally along such upper rim surface from the rectangular corner entered by it toward the other of said corners, and

said second flow passage means being directed substantially upwardly from said other corner toward the rounded top wall,

whereby the inflow at each said rectangular corner turns the flow entering the whirl chamber at the other rectangular corner.

3. For use on an aerosol dispenser of the type having a hollow tubular valve stem including a tube tip transverse to the stem, the tip having an annular tube tip rim surface,

a one-piece spray head comprising a body having within its lower end a bore of circular cross-section, within which such tube tip is received,

a transverse surface presented downwardly at the upper end of said bore, against which such tube tip rim surface is presented abuttingly, and

cavity portions recessed upwardly from the transverse surface in registration with the bore, said cavity portions including a generally upright whirl chamber of lesser thickness than the thickness of such tube tip rim surface,

said whirl chamber havin a forward wall adjacent to a forward surface of the body and a central spray orifice therethrough,

said chamber further having a generally semi-circularly rounded top wall and having sidewall portions leading substantially vertically upward thereto whose length above the transverse surface is approximately equal to the radius of the rounded top wall,

whereby to provide, in conjunction with such tube tip rim surface, a rounded top Whirl chamber whose height substantially equal its diameter and wherein the intersections of said sidewall portions with such tube tip rim surface form two substantially rectangular corners,

said recessed cavity portions further including a flow passage means having an inlet portion recessed in said transverse surface radially inward of such tip rim surface,

said flow passage means being directed substantially upwardly from said transverse surface along one of said sidewall portions of the whirl chamber and curvedly toward the rounded top wall of the whirl chamber,

whereby inflow of liquid at such passage means proceeds upwardly toward said rounded top wall and is curved thereat downwardly at the other sidewall, thus commencing whirling of such fluid toward the central spray orifice.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,008,654 11/1961 Abplanalp et al. 239573 X 3,083,917 4/1963 Abplanalp et al. 239337 X 3,226,040 12/1965 Briechle et al 239-492 X 3,240,431 3/1966 Hug et al. 239101 3,335,965 8/1967 Riccio 239-579 X EVERETT W. KIRBY, Primary Examiner I. J. LOVE, Assistant Examiner U.S. c1. X.R, 239-337, 57; 

